B~ITISH CEOLOCIC~ SURVEY _. LIBRARY SERVICES ___ ~~_al_ ,No. \(' v c \"1 c) C) Scan -_j Display ~1 __ ._ __ Geosystems Map ~~ Min. Int. ~~.:_ .. ____ 1 Min. Slats. Circulate to: Return to Library REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA ANNUAL REPORT OFTHE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DEPARTMENT FOR THE YEAR 1976 PRIl\"TED BY THE GOVERl'\MENT PRlr\TER, GABOROI"E, BOTSWAKA 1. GENERAL 1.1 Introduction The Geological Survey Department remained part of the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Water Affairs and continued in its primary function cf gathering data on all aspects of the rocks and minerals of Botswana. There were no major cha­ nges in the organisation of the Department which comprises a Directorate (Director, Deputy Director and assistant Director); three Operational Divisions (Regional Mapping, Hydrogeology and Economic Geclogy); six Technical Service Branches (Labora­ tory, Geophysics, Drawing Office, Lapidary Worksho~ Library and Drilling); plus Administration and Training wings. A de­ cision was taken however to modify the Department's activities in 1977 when respcnsibility for underground water production will be transferred to the Department of Water Affairs. 1.2 Summary of Year's Work The professional and technical cadres were almost fully staffed making 1976 a very productive year in all operational activities of the Department. Only the post of Technical Records officer remained vacant for much of the year and the post of Principal Chemist was vacated in July on the departure of Mr. L.G. Hutton after 8 years' service. Two German geo­ logists were recruited through West German Technical Aid and one Dutch hydro geolo gi s t under Dutch Techni cal Coopera tion. Two recently graduated local geologists also joined the Depar­ tment allowing locali zation of a further two professional posts. Professional and technical expatriates will continue to f'J rm the ba ckbone of the Departmen t for several years to come but there is now an inc'reasing number of students schedu­ led to study geological sciences in overseas institutions and a definite pattern of locali zation is becoming increasingly established. In the technical cadres, progress in the tra­ ining of local officers continued under the formal Driller 1 Training Scheme and at the informal level at Headquarters and through a day-release scheme whereby technical assistants are given basic science tuition at the National Vocational Training Centre. In December a Peace Corps Volunteer was appointed to give in-service training to Laboratory Assistants. The Administrative Officer, Mr. K.F. Mokobi, attended a 6-week management course at the Institute of Development Management ,in Gaborone. Under the Department's regional mapping programme revision mapping of nine quarter degree sheets comprising the Mahalapye block was completed. The arrival in April of Dr. G. C. Clark to fill the long vacant post of Principal Geologist in charge of the Field Mapping Division provided for better coordination of this work and improved consistency in documentation. Fourteen coloured geological maps are now in the production line and it is hoped that, wi th the facili ties available in the new Drawing Offi ce, these maps can be speedily published. Wi th the commissioning in April of a new multipurpose Hydroq Gryphon 10 drilling rig acquired through UK technical aid a return has been made to the Kalatraverse drilling programme. This was suspended in 1974 due to the lack of suitable drilling equipment to deal with the thick overburden of Kalahari beds. About twelve holes are planned and the results should reveal the relationship between bedrock geology in the east and west si des of the country. The Economic Geology Division embarked on a top priority investigation into gold minerali zation in basal Transvaal conglo­ merates in southeast Botswana. Anomalous gold values were disco­ vered in these rocks during a regional survey of minerali zation associated with the Gaborone granite and its envelope. By Septem­ ber a major operation using five departmental drilling rigs had been mounted. Investigations into the banded ironstone deposits of the Shoshong area were completed and delineation of the northern margin of the Greater Morupule Coalfield was undertaken. The long term geochemical atlas project continued and the north half of the eas­ tern strip has now 0een compiled. On the industrial minerals side 2 work continued in assessing clay deposi ts and a survey of industrial minerals available within a 70 kilometre radius of Dukwe was begun at the request of the Sua Project Management Unit. Operational ass­ istance was provided to a UNIIXl-sponsored Clay Products and Non­ Metallic Mineral Products Consultancy undertaken by a team of Cze­ choslovakian experts. The coal geologist continued to collate and analyse the large amount of information accruing from private sec­ tor coal exploration in the country. Major changes occured in the traditional role played by the Department in groundwater development. Much of the effort in the past has been directed towards production siting and drilling but, with the big improvement in staffing in the HYdrogeology Division and the deployment of the UK-sponsored GS10 Groundwater Evaluation Project, it has now been possible to focus attention on resource evaluation and assessment. Data collection and storage has been upgraded and reconnaissance groundwater resource maps for the whole country are being prepared. A major contribution to this work will be undertaken by the GS10 Project. Work commenced in two areas selected for detailed evaluation of primary aquifers in the Karoo. The water-bearing characteristics of the Transvaal dolomites and buried river gravels in the Kalahari succession are also being investigated by the team. The Department also contributed to groun­ water resources evaluation studies around Dukwe for the Sua Project Management Unit and for a major ranching development scheme in south Botswana. The Division was kept busy on the production side and because of lack of siting and drilling capacity three drilling contracts and two siting contracts operated during the year. In the area of groundwa ter research maj or con tri buti ons were provi de d to the study of nitrate pollution of village water supplies and to the chemistry of the swamp waters of the Okavango Delta. Under the Department's development programme, which is funded mainly through OVerseas aid donors, there was satisfactory progress. Of the major regional geophysical surveys being undertaken the resul­ ts of the UK-funded National Gravity Survey (GS05) were published 3 during the year and the flying phase of the CrDA sponsored Airborne Magnetic Survey (GS12) was completed in March and data compilation continued through the remainder of the year. The results of these surveys will contribute greatly to elucidating the concealed geology of the Kalahari basin and mining companies have already expressed much interest in the gravity data. The Groundwater Evaluation Project (GSIO), referred to above, got underway in the middle of the year despite staffing problems. Unfortunately two other major groundwater evaluation projects - Okavango Groundwater(GS13) and Groundwater Search for the Tribal Grazing Land Programme (GS15) continued to suffer delays in donor acceptance. However, some deep electrical soundings were made in the Okavango Del ta by the Geophy­ sics Branch in support of the Okavango Project. There were further delays in plans to build and equip a Mineral Dressing Laboratory (GSll) and SrDA accepted to undertake a programme of continued seismic research in the Okavango Delta (GS16). The Department's own BUilding Programme (GS08) funded through domestic development funds continued to progress slowly. A new drawing office was vir­ ually completed by the end of the year and the old drawing office block was renovated and will provide necessary extra space including a badly needed conference room in the future. Plans were drawn up for a new geophysics block which will further relieve congestion in the divisional buildings. One district memoir, three bulletins, several contributions to scientific journals, and two full colour standard quarter degree geological sheets were published during the year. Preparation of material for publication still suffers delays fro~ the absence of a full-time editor on the staff but wi th the filling of the Principal Geologist Field Mapping post it is hoped that output will improve. The Director attended a seminar of Heads of Geological Surveys in Commonwealth African countries, sponsored by the Commonwealth Geological Liaison office, in Accra in April at which problems common to African Geological Survey Departments were discussed and resolutions to remedy them were adopted. The Deputy Director visited 4 Australia in August to represent Botswana at the 25th International Geological Congress. The Department contributed to the Symposium on the Okavango Delta held in Gaborone in September. Technical oooperation visits were paid to the Department by British, Canadian and West German officials. The final year's field­ work and data collection excercise of the UK-sponsored Satellite Imagery Interpretation Project was accomplished through the visit of the two project geologists from the Institute of Geological Sciences, London and a report and maps are under preparation. The Director continued to serve c·n,ne Mineral Policy Committee and the Natural Resources Technical Committee. The Director also assisted in the preparation of cabinet memoranda and attended a number of informal cabinet meetings. Work in administering private sector prospecting including the negotiation and issue of licences and the provision of an advisory service to the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Water Affairs continued to occupy a high proportion of the Director's time. On the private sector side there was a marked increase in in­ terest in company prospecting during the latter half of the year. This coincided with general improvement in the world economic situa­ tion, the revival of company interest in investing in mineral search and the continued stability of Botswana in an area where political condi tions continued to deteriorate.